First, I congratulate the AONB Partnership for successfully obtaining funding to restore Purbeck habitats.

However, their proposal to graze large areas of ungrazed heathland is misguided and potentially very harmful to many species that inhabit them, particularly lizards and snakes.

Dorset’s heaths are nationally important for reptiles.

A wealth of evidence shows that livestock grazing is harmful to reptiles inhabiting heathlands.

Grazing allegedly slows their progression to woodland. Heathlands are nutrient deficient habitats and grazing actually accelerates this process through the addition of nutrients (dung).

Also, cattle do not prevent pine and birch tree encroachment as these are unpalatable.

Reptiles require a complex heath structure (mature heath) as this provides both shelter and food.

Cattle physically damage the structure, simplifying it and making it unable to support such a diverse animal community.

An example is the New Forest where long-term overgrazing has caused significant reptile population declines in many areas and eradicated them in others.

Cattle grazing is little more than ‘habitat gardening’ and is totally inappropriate in areas where reptile conservation should be the concern.

DR CHRIS READING Sherford Close, Wareham